1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to a device for protection against falls, and is specifically adapted to sports, like roller skating, in-line roller skating, and skateboarding.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
During skating, it is important to have substantial freedom of movement so as to be able more effectively to perform jumps and figures, and furthermore, to execute braking or acceleration related movements. Skating-related risks occur due to the fact that when the skater loses his balance, he may fall down on hard and non shock-absorbent surfaces that can cause serious injuries. Therefore, protective accessories were designed with the object of limiting the risks of injury, especially in the most vulnerable areas, i.e., the head, hands, knees, and elbows.
The drawbacks that are often cited in connection with existing protective accessories are that they provide inadequate protection, either because their designs are usually non-specific, or because they are too cumbersome, thereby limiting the mobility of the limbs, being too hot, and affecting both the smoothness of the motions, and the artistic or aesthetic appearance while skating. In terms of protection, the proposed systems do not give enough importance to the fact that the parts to be protected in any one zone, generally projecting parts, can be numerous and oriented in different planes with respect to one another. Thus, more often than not, the protection is either effective only in one specific plane while remaining ineffective or inadequate in another plane, or else the protection works effectively in all planes, but this is achieved at the price of a device that is much too cumbersome.
Existing systems are also usually complicated and take a long time to put on; this makes them troublesome to use for all occasions, especially when just a short session or one with no apparent difficulties is being planned. However, it is precisely on such occasions that accidents occur most often.
Therefore, there exists a need to improve current systems with the object of (1) making such systems better adapted to the morphology of the body parts to be protected, (2) reducing volume to promote mobility and, (3) facilitating the ease with which such systems can be worn so that their use becomes mandatory.
International Patent Application WO 97/27768 is related to a wrist and hand protective device that consists of a stiffening element extending from the palm of the hand to below the wrist joint. The stiffening element is slipped into the flexible pocket of a band having a planar configuration. The band is positioned by winding it around the wrist, and it is tightened by means of a strap equipped with a Velcro type attachment.
Utility Design DE-UI-297 17 989 is related to a knee protective device consisting of a flexible, appropriately shaped part, on which a stiff plastic shell is fixed. The flexible part is attached to the leg by two straps, each arranged on either side of the knee joint.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,531 is a wrist protection consisting of an elongated I-shaped reinforcement connected to the arm via two straps. The reinforcement is extended via a stiff thumb protection finger.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,013 is related to a hand, wrist, and forearm protective device. The device, which covers a substantial portion of the forearm via stiffening elements connected by straps, is very cumbersome and limits the mobility of the arm and the hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,391 is related to a knee protection sleeve consisting of a flexible body, padding means made of a resilient material and detachable affixing means for fixing the sleeve around the knee, having two affixing flaps surrounding the leg from each side of the knee.
Patent Application CA 2,120,176 is related to a knee protective device that promotes the bending of the knee by means of two separate shell portions that are capable of pivoting about a horizontal axis. Still, the only object of the shells is to protect the knee cap and, when tightened, they cannot be adjusted to protect the other distinct projecting parts of the knee.
Other related documents concern other protective devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,902 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,080.
A wrist protection system is also known that is marketed under the trademark BiomeX-Protection which consists of two preformed stiff parts that are articulated in the area of the wrist so as to promote its mobility. One of these parts has the object of protecting the palm of the hand whereas the other covers the inner portion of the forearm. The stiff parts are simply covered with a fine layer of foam glued onto the base of the preformed parts. It is tightened by means of two longitudinally spaced straps. Therefore, the device cannot be easily conformed or adapted to the size of the hand due to the fact that the structure is very rigid and the position of the articulation does not allow any clearance for its shape or size. Such a device is also cumbersome, and putting it on is a laborious task.